1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to non-impact tools for installing and swaging inserts in a base material, and more specifically to such tools for installing and swaging threaded inserts into a parent material.
2. Related Art
Threaded inserts are used extensively in housings or mounts for various equipment when the material from which the housing or mount is formed is incapable of withstanding the forces that would be brought to bear when a fastener is placed in a tapped hole in the housing or mount. The insert is threaded into a tapped hole in the housing or mount and swaged so that a portion of the insert engages the parent material, thereby preventing the insert from rotating or backing out of the material due to vibration or other external forces.
Swaging is accomplished by expanding at least a portion of the insert outwardly into the parent material. This may be accomplished by a cylindrically shaped anvil mounted in a hydraulic press or in a handtool having handles operated much like a pair of pliers. Alternatively, swaging can be accomplished by striking the anvil mounted on a shaft with a mallet or hammer. The hydraulic apparatus for swaging the inserts is typically automated or requires costly machinery. This type of machinery is too complex and expensive for infrequent-type repair work where a broken insert is removed and replaced by a new insert. The plier-type handtool, while convenient and simple to use, sometimes develops too much force when the technician squeezes the tool too much. Use of a mallet or hammer developes too much of an impact force on the insert and often damages the parent material.